Feed mechanism for automatic weighing-machines.



H. HAGER. FEED MEOHAN ISM FOB AUTOMATIOWEIGHING MACHINES. APPLICATION nun JULY 2a, 1913.

1,098, 1 0 8. Patented May 26, 1914.

53 I a I :4 (81/23 ||:|:I 31 21 22 E72 NM #12 HARRY HAGER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FEED MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC WEIGHING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 26, 191 1.

Application filed July 23, 1813. Serial No. 780,678.

To all/whom it may concern:

Be it known that I,'I-IAnnY Hacsn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chica e, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed Mechanism for Automatic lVeighing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in feed mechanism for automatic weighing machines and the like, and has for its general object to provide feeding mechanism for satisfactorily delivering material of a brittle, flaky nature, light weight and varying contour, normally difficult to feed, from a supply hopper to a suitable weighing machine, such for instance as a weighing scale of the type illustrated in my Patent 819,881 dated May 8th, 1906.

In the automatic weighing of material of the character stated, such as flaked corn, potato chips, or the like, to be packaged, it is a matter of considerable difliculty to secure an evenand uniform feed from the hopper owin to the tendency of the light flaky materia to mass upon, or bridge over, the delivery orifice, but for successful op-' oration of the weighing machine it is very essential that the material flow be uniform, continuous and dependable, to avoid stoppages in the flow or intermittent, irregular delivery of the material in masses that will cause a false weighing. Also it is essential that; the means employed to overcome the massing tendency of the material shall not break or injure it. These requirements are met by my invention.

In the drawings wherein I have shown an embodiment of my invention Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved feeding device; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the opposite side; Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross section of a portion of the device and Fig. 4 is a fragmentary end view.

In the particular construction shown 10 indicates in general the frame of a weighing machine such as that illustrated in my said prior patent, having mounted thereon, as on bridge pieces 11, an automatic feeding mechanism, of which 12 indicates the body, in the form of a rectangular frame, open at top and bottom, 13 the supply hopper and 15 the central delivery spout for directing material to the scale, bot 13 and 15 being carried by the body. The hopper 13 is referably bifurcated, its two legs 14 ant 14' spreading apart appropriately to leave therebetween a space 16 in which may be mounted the driving motor 17 or other prime mover for the feeding mechanism. The principal object of dividing the hopper, however, is to secure uniform tendency to delivery from opposite sides of the hopper through the two downwardly opening, separated mouths. Each leg, 14: and 1 1, of the hopper at its bottom opens on to a short endless belt, each belt, 20 and 20', being supported upon a driving roller 21 or 21 and an idler 22 suitably mounted in ball hearings in the frame 12. The driving rollers 21 21 are fixed in position, and the idler rollers 22 are adjustable by means of the tension bolts 23, extending to the ends of the body 12, to maintain the belts properly tightened. The outer wall of each hopper leg comes down substantially in contact with the belt and the inner wall stops short a suitable distance above the belt as best shown in Fig. 3, the inner walls being cross connected as by a platform 14 leaving room for i the valves 2525, (preferably employed) pivoted in the opposite walls of the opper structure and forming substantial continuations of the inner walls of the legs. Said valves preferably converge downward at a slight angle, each to lie in gravity-maintained contact with the end of the contiguous belt-flight, and each valve is preferably provided with a weight 26 adjustable thereon by slot and screw connection 27 so that the resistance of the valve to displacement may be'varied as one means of varying the feed. The contiguous ends of the two belt-flights are separated somewhat and the mixing and delivery space 28, between them and up to the wall 14, vertically alines with the delivery spent 15.

Rotation is imparted from the prime mover 17 through belt and pulley connections 30 to the power shaft 31 of one of the rollers as 21, there being on the opposite side of the body 12 a pair of gears 33 for communicating opposite rotation from shaft 81' to shaft. 31.

I have found this construction to be very eflicacious in feeding corn flakes and other like materials which are inherently dillicult to deliver without massing, the construction of the feeder with the two hopper legs each opening to a subjacent travelin belt for delivering two streams of material simultaneously and in common into a central delivery space 28, insuring that the material will positively move from the bottom of each hopper leg and that there will be no massing of the material to stop the flow. The opposing traveling bodies of material meet in a space where their mutual opposition causes them to drop freely and their travel is additionally directed downward both by the deflecting action of the valves 25-25 and the downward trend of the traveling belts around the rollers 21-21. The straight-falling material flows through the directing spout 15 in a steady stream without dan er of stoppage.

I fin in ractice that a machine constructed as a ove described will operate on very thin, brittle, flaky materials such as flaked corn, and similar stufi's without ermitting them to mass, or bridge as t eir light weight and large irre ular surface cause them to tend to do, and without any such agitation or compression as would destroy the desired form of the material by crushing or in any way injurin the same.

While I have herein describe in some detail a articular embodiment of my invention w iich I have found in practice to be a commercially operable embodiment of my invention it will. be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous changes mi ht be made in the details of construction without departure from the spirit of my invention and within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention what I claim is: I

1. Automatic feeding mechanism for brittle, flaky materials and the like, comprising two opposed hop er legs, and oppositely traveling belts at tlie lower ends of said hopper le separated by a mixing space into whichi oth belts may simultaneously deliver material from the two legs for gravitational descent below the belts.

2. Automatic feeding mechanism for brittle, flaky materials and the like, comprising two opposed hop er legs, oppositely traveling belts at the ower ends of sai ho er legs separated by a mixing 5 ace into w ich both belts may simultaneous y deliver material from the two legs for gravitational descent below the bclts, and an open delivery spout below said mixing s ace to direct the course of the gravitationa descent of said material.

3. Automatic feedin mechanism for brittle, flaky materials and the like, comprisin two opposed hop or legs, opposite] trave ing belts at the ower ends of sai ho er legs separated by a mixing s ace into w ich both belts may simultaneous y deliver material from the two legs for gravitational descent below the belts, and yielding members 006 ratin with the confrontin ends of sai belt-flights to regulate the dlalivery of material.

4. Automatic feedin mechanism for brittle, flaky materials and the like, comprising two opposed hop )er legs, oppositely traveling belts at the lower ends of said ho per legs separated by a mixing space into w ich both belts may simultaneously deliver material from the two legs for ravitational descentbelow the belts, and pivoted valves above the respective belts cooperatin with the confronting ends of said belt fli ts arranged to be forced away from said belts by the travel of the material toward the delivery space, and, in such position, to deflect the material downward.

5. Automatic feedin mechanism for brittle, flaky materials and the like, comprising two opposed hopper legs, oppositely traveling belts at the lower ends of said hop er legs separated by a mixing space into which both belts may simultaneously deliver material from the two legs for gravitational descent below the belts, and valves cooperating with said belts, and adjustable means for regulating the resistance of said valves to movement.

6. Automatic feeding mechanism for brittle, flaky materials and the like, comprising two opposed hopper legs, oppositely traveling belts at the lower ends of sai hopper legs separated by a mixing space into which both belts may simultaneously deliver material from the two legs for gravitational descent below the belts, valves, 25, 25, oppos inig the confronting ends of said belts and a ustabIe weights, 26, 26', on said valves.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination of a bifurcated hop er, a motor located between the limbs 0 said hopper, belts traveling oppositely inward below the ends of the respective limbs of said hopper, said belts at the inner ends of their flights separated by a mixing space, rollers supportin said belts, a driving connection from said motor to one said roller and gearing connection between said roller and a driving roller of the opposing belt.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination of an open body or frame, a delivery spout located cent-rally below said frame, two opposing short endless belts carried by rollers journalcd in said frame, and a bifurcated hopper supported by said frame having its limbs respectively opening at their ower ends to said belts and spaced apart to leave between the limbs and belts a mixing space.

9. In a device of the character described, the combination of an open body or frame, a delivery spout located centrally below said frame, two opposing short endless belts carried by rollers journaled in said frame, a.

were.

bifurcated hopper supported by said frame ing downward the material delivered by having its hmbs respectively opening at said belts.

their lower ends to said belts and spaced In testimony whereof I hereunto set my apart to leave between the limbs and belts a hand in the presence of two witnesses.

- mixing space, valves formin substantial HARRY HAGER.

continuations of the inner wal s of said legs In the presence of- 006 erating with the confronting ends of Fonim BAIN, sai belt and when in open position direct- MARY F. ALLEN.

copies of this patent may be obtained (or he cents each, by addreuing the "Commissioner of Patents, walhlnzton, D. 0." 

